Breathing comprises a 10 metre high, inverted glass spire, rising from the seventh floor roof of the new Broadcasting House building.

During the hours of darkness the cone will be gently lit so that it glows, and then every day, in tandem with the 10 o'clock news bulletin, a fine beam of light will project from its base approximately 900 metres into the night sky.

The words
The glass sculpture is etched with a spiral of continuous text by the sculptor Jaume Plensa (pictured above), reflecting the voices we hear even in the silence:

life turns and turns on the crystal glass
breathing in our body

silence is a voice, our voice
silence is a body, our body

life turns and turns on the crystal glass
breathing in our body

I invite you to breathe
I invite you to listen to the silence

In addition, Breathing has a specific memorial poetry commission from the writer and ex-war correspondent, James Fenton. Click here to read the complete poem.

The inspiration
As well as a memorial to international news journalists and their teams, Breathing is also metaphor for sound and communication and takes its inspiration from the adjoining spire of the Grade I listed All Souls Church (which it appears to invert) and the radio mast on the roof of the Grade II* listed Broadcasting House.

Breathing is both a significant artwork for the BBC and a new landmark for central London.

The collaboration
The final form of Breathing is the result of a dialogue between the artist Jaume Plensa, the Broadcasting House architect Sir Richard MacCormac and his team, and Modus Operandi public art consultants. The glass and steel construction of the sculpture has evolved through close collaboration between the artist, the architects and the engineers Whitby Bird & Partners.